Tag: lunar

Your online presence is your website. This is the first glimpse people get into you from the internet. So, when people look at your website – they are not just judging your work, they are forming an opinion of you. Do you want to give people a good impression or a mediocre one? Avoid the former by making sure that only your best work is showcased on your website! Remember, the world is shrinking, and your website has become an extension of your resume. Only publish what you really want people to see, and make sure that is the absolute best of any material. Whether it’s a personal website, a professional website, or even a photo blog *(ahem*), you want to ensure that the content you present is only the best. Otherwise, your online presence can suffer. Read more

In photography, there is much to catch in the morning hours – sunrises, dew glistening off everything around you, and the slow to low hum of the world awakening around you. It’s both invigorating and peaceful at the same time. I can’t begin to recall the number of times I’ve crawled out of the cozy warm bed in the middle of the dark, all to be at an ocean beach before sunrise, to make a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park before the morning glow catches the peaks of the mountains, or to catch butterflies and other creatures before the heat of the day scurries them away.

Sunrise 1Sunrise 2Sunrise 3Sunrise 4Sunrise 5

By the same token, there’s also something to be said for the waning hours of the day and the night time coaxes us to our nocturnal tendencies. The deep blues of the sky as the moon begins to creep over a skyline, the brilliant oranges and blues mix in unimaginable ways through the clouds, and streaks of headlights and tail lights bring a sense of motion to the darkness – they all lull us to stay up and about to catch the images the work-a-days miss. These are what draw us out at night. The downside is that your dinner is cold, or your spouse/significant other has already eaten and you chow down alone. Of course, you may be eating as you pour your images into Lightroom, Aperture, or other photo editor – beside yourself with anticipation of what you’ve captured.

Night Owl 1Night Owl 2Night Owl 3

There are pros and cons to being either an early bird (that gets the worm), or the night owl (that gets…a cricket?). I’ve enjoyed (and suffered) through both, but would love to hear your perspectives. Are you a night owl or an early bird? Sound off in the poll and the comments!

Most of the time the subject of the a photo is easy to see – whether it’s a portrait, landscape, travel, or architecture. While these subjects are easy to identify, the use of shadows in these topics is not discussed as often as it should be. We spend so much time trying to get the lit portion of our images in focus, composed to our satisfaction, making sure things are sharp, and all the rest, we sometimes miss the value of shadows in our imagery.

The shadows of an image can be just as important to the composition as the lit parts are. When talking about how to light images with strobes and studio lights, the use of shadows to give definition is often discussed, but the same discussions can be germane to naturally lit photos too. Remember, the word photography means to paint with light (photo and graphos), so even the absence of light can be significant in defining our images.

Whether you shoot portraiture, architecture, landscapes, or even abstracts, shadows can and do play a role in how you compose your images. Do you look at the shadows in your images? What story do shadows tell in your work?